A Tribute to Pop-Pop

This is the tribute I gave to my grandfather at his funeral.  I was talking to someone the other day about it and said I thought I might post it here to share with friends who were not at the funeral.  She encouraged me to do so.  I had to re-write a few things because I was able to write differently when I was speaking than I needed to for folks to read it.

I was blessed to have Pop-Pop all to myself for many years before my siblings and cousins were born.  Some of those years were even spent living with my grandparents, so I was able to spend even more time with him, which was just fine with me!  He was more than just a grandfather to me, he was a dad before God blessed me with one.  Both pop-pop and grandma have been huge influences in my life.  I was born in a very tumultuous time in our country… Into a situation that was not the best of circumstances…  As always, God was in control.  He gave me a grandfather who loved me with all his heart.  It took a bit for him to warm up to me, but he did! 

 

My grandfather never talked about my color.  He accepted me as his grandchild in a time where bi-racial children were not something accepted.  I say this because it speaks to my Pop-pop’s character.  He could have rejected me.  I’d like to think that is was because I was such a cute baby, but it wasn’t.  I was his family.  He accepted me as that and never treated me as less.

He was so patient with me.  I would follow him everywhere.  If he was fixing something, I wanted to fix it too, or at least try…  I would try to talk like him, even walk like him.  He had a way of walking where his head was tilted a bit.  I remember walking behind him, trying to do the same thing.  I learned how to drive a riding lawnmower because when I was little, he used to let me sit on his lap while he was cutting the grass.  He used to make sure he parked his car in his garage every night.  Sometimes, he would let me sit on his lap and steer the car into the garage.  I really thought I was doing something.  Looking back, he was doing most of the steering.  He always had his hand on the bottom of the steering wheel.  He kind of helped guide me through life that way at times.  I would ask him things, he would gently show me the way to do it.

He taught me how to tie my shoes, ride a bike, and even do maintenance on cars.  One year he found a bike in the garbage, if I remember right.  He fixed that bike up and gave it to me for Christmas.  That was a great gift, not just because it was my first bike.  It was great because he took the time to fix it and spruce it up as a gift for me!

As I got older, our relationship just got better.  Even though there were more grandchildren to share his love, I never felt less important or that there was less time for me.  I was talking to a friend the other day about Pop.  She and I used to go over to their house after I was driving.  She said, “I always loved the stories your grandfather would tell about growing up.  They always made me laugh.”  He just had that way with people.  They just seemed to love him.

He would just love on all of us.  He would bounce my siblings and cousins as babies on his leg.  He would take little ones for walks.  Witness the boys getting involved in all kinds of shenanigans, which were probably brought on by some story he had told them.  Of course, it didn’t help that you would have full access to his shop in the basement and the many tools to help in those plans.

Family was always important to Pop-Pop.  We would spend holidays together, have cookouts in the summer at their house.  When I got married and spent time away from home, those cookouts were some of the things I missed most.  I remember one Thanksgiving meal when, as we were sitting down, he said, “Make sure you put the mashed potatoes in front of Staci.  You know how much she loves them.” I just giggled.  The man knew me.

I remember telling the family when Will and I found out we were going to have our first child.  It was Easter and we were all sitting around the table in the dining room.  Little did I know that he and I would both be in the hospital at the same time when Jared was born.  Pop-pop was in the hospital with a hematoma that pushed on his brain and paralyzed him on one side for a short time.  I remember coming up to visit him when Jared was a little over a month old.  Watching Pop holding Jared, and me being so thankful that he was still here.

My kids have so many great memories of their great grandfather.  Jared said he will always remember pop-pop sneaking cookies.  He said even when he couldn’t move that well, he could somehow get in the kitchen and get some cookies.  Pop-pop always had 2 liter sodas in the basement for family events, or if you were over helping with something, he would give you a glass of soda for refreshment.  Jeanelle told me this story about pop-pop.   She said she had a bottle of juice.  She had finished it and brought it in the kitchen to throw away.  Pop-pop was sitting at the table with a 2 liter bottle of root beer and motioned for Jeanelle to come over.  She said he told her to put the bottle up and he commenced to fill the bottle with root beer.  He said, “Here ya go” and sent Jeanelle off.  I started laughing when she told me this, then thought, why is this the first time I am hearing this???  But, that was pop.  Always wanting us to have a cookie, or soda, or some dessert, or Manishevitz and fruitcake at Christmas and New Year once you were old enough.  Or, if you got to the house at the right time, wanting you to join them with in a meal.

I could go on and on, but I would just say- ask any of us.  We have such great memories.  The last thing, I would want you to know about my grandfather, is the greatest gift he left me with.  I grew up watching my grandfather faithfully go to church every week.  He would often go with my Aunt Gertie on Saturday nights.  It was important to him.  After he moved down here, he found a parish to attend and he went until he couldn’t drive anymore.  Sometimes family members would take him.  My mom has told me stories of them going through confirmation class as kids.  God was an important part in my grandfather’s life.  I know my grandfather was saved by the blood of Jesus.  By sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to save us.  I know that as the Bible says in Romans 10:8-10

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

So, although I am sad today, I also can rejoice in the fact that I will see Pop-Pop again in heaven.  I know he is in the presence of the Lord.  That he has joined in “the great cloud of witnesses” as it says in Hebrews 12.

Everyone talks about legacy and my Pop-pop’s greatest legacy in me is this: my relationship with Christ.  His taking time for church and God made me see at a young age that there was something important about it.  Today that legacy is a huge part of my identity.  It is what helps me be a better wife, mom, sister, friend…  So I end with this, what part of pop’s legacy is in you?  What will people see in you that was great about him? 

The Time is Now...

There's an old quote attributed to Ben Franklin- "Nothing is certain, but death and taxes."  I'm not sure taxes are even certain to some, but that's a whole other subject for another time perhaps.  What I am certain of is this, we will all be born and we will all die.  Yet, somehow, we are all surprised when either circumstance happens.

Yesterday, I went to see my grandfather who is most likely, barring a miracle, in his last days of life.  He has lived a long good life 105 years.  He has seen much change in this world.  Living to a ripe old age of 105 doesn't change the facts for him, he was born and he will one day die.  The question is, what are you going to do with the time you have here.

Ecclesiastes 3 speaks of there being a season for all things in life.  I often hear people complain about the season they are in.  "When my kids move out, I'll..." or "When I retire, I'll.."  We are so busy looking ahead, that we have forgotten to be thankful for this day in itself.  To live it to it's fullest.

I am not asking you to quit your job and go live in some remote tribal village.  While that is certainly a worthy cause and can change many lives.  I'm thinking a little more simple, but just as life changing.  I'm saying how about today, tell your loved ones how much you care about them.  Tell them how proud you are of them.  Spend some time with your spouse, your kids, your parents, your siblings.  Call a friend you haven't spoken to in a while and say hi.

Please, please, please... invest some time in your kids lives.  You will be rewarded for it later in life.  You don't have to be perfect.  It doesn't have to be some elaborately planned event.  How about a pizza?  A hike.  A bike ride.  Bowling.  Something you can have time to talk.  Stop telling your kids that you can't wait till vacation is over or they graduate.  I am telling you right now, I know a lot of people who have adult kids that have now moved out and they miss them deeply.

Sit down with your family and have dinner.  I remember sitting with my grandparents for breakfast and dinner.  In the summer we would sit in the kitchen and have lunch.  We would listen to Paul Harvey for part of  lunch time.  We talked a lot around that kitchen table.  They learned about my school day and what was happening in my life.  I recently visited a friend who sits down with her kids every night and let's each of them recount their school day.  One of them has more time than the other each night.  I thought, "How important those kids must feel!  In a world that never slows down, they have their own little moment each day."

Recently, I went to a one day conference for youth workers called the Orange Tour.   Reggie Joiner , the founder of Orange, spoke a lot about time and our investments in kid's lives.  He said two things that I would like to share: 1.- "Love over time gives a kid a sense of worth" and 2.- "The way you love kids, while their kids, can dramatically affect their future."  I'm pretty sure that can be said for everyone in life.

Please don't wait till the end of someone's life to try to stuff in all the things you wish you could have said and done.  You will regret it.  Start now.  Don't waste another minute of your life because, as it says in James 4:14 (HCSB),  "You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes"

Again...

Unless you were totally unplugged from all forms of information on Monday, you are aware of Monday's shootings at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC.  First, I want to express my deepest sympathy to all the people who lost family and friends in this violent attack.  We have so much that we still do not know.  At this point we know the shooter's name.  Why?  What led to this?  No answers, yet.

What I do know is this.  The victims in these attacks seem to all have one thing in common.  A feeling of helplessness.  They often describe hiding in closets or under desks.  You can literally hear the fear in their voice and rightly so.  I had a friend when I was little.  We were very close friends, but she moved I moved, both many times over.  Our families kept in and out of touch, but I hadn't seen her for years.  I remember finding out that she and 7 other people were killed just before Christmas several years ago by a disgruntled employee.  I remember how I felt when I first heard this.  I remember how angry I was that someone was that cowardly.  I can't imagine what the survivors and their families, as well as the families of the victims are going through.

Sadly, for the victims in these crimes, many of these attacks are in areas where people are not legally allowed to carry weapons for self defense.  I would imagine, in the case of this young man, there would have been many qualified shooters who could have stopped him from his murderous shooting spree.  Major Hasan, the shooter at Ft Hood, chose to fire on defenseless soldiers.  Again, these very qualified soldiers were not allowed to carry weapons for personal defense.  It seems there is always something in common with bullies, cowards, predators and their ilk-  they know where they can do the most harm to people.

What have we learned? Obviously nothing.  Each time one of these horrendous events occurs, our politicians line up and argue both sides of the cause.  What we are left with is a bunch of hot air and that is never helpful.  Simply put, it always reminds me of school and the entire class getting in trouble when one person does something wrong.  Oh, little Johnny wanted to pick a fight at lunch?  The whole class is punished by missing recess.  The whole class suffers.  Little Johnny will probably get hurt tomorrow and we'll go through the whole process again.

The discussion should never start with taking rights away from law abiding people.  They should never be punished for the actions of criminals.  It should also never be assumed that they will commit the heinous crimes these madmen have devised.  We have so many rights in our country.  One of the most important rights in any society is the right to defend oneself.  The right to protect our lives and the lives of those important to us.  We help countries fight for these rights.  Any discussion that begins with taking an inalienable right from law abiding citizens, is moot.

Mental health is an issue that is briefly discussed and then left.  It's the third rail of health care.  Honestly, if it 's bad now, it is not going to get better with the implementation of Obama care.  There are serious issues that need to be discussed within the mental health topic.  We briefly touch them, then quickly begin arguing about guns.  If you can help the troubled mind, you can go a long way to stop this kind of violence.

So, as the discussion heats up again.  Let's be thoughtful about it.  Let's be thoughtful about what the real answers are.  Self defense, conceal carry, these are not bad words.  They are proven to work.  Mental health and the weakness of that system right now.  There is so much that can be fixed there.  Let's start somewhere.  Finally, human life... every human life, is so very important.  Can we start treating them with dignity and respect from day one to the end?  Maybe we can just start with that.

September 11th, Conspiracy Theories, Radical Islam, Freedom... Or, Simply Put, What is Going Through My Head Right Now.

As I was reading everyone's posts on Facebook this morning about the September 11th attacks, something just hit me.  Maybe a couple things hit me, not just one.  First,  we live in a world of constant information. The majority of America saw the attacks happen in real time, BUT, there are people who say it was a facade.  A giant conspiracy.  The government did it.  The Jews did it.  Whatever people come up with, it's ridiculous.  The Boston bombings are recent in our memories. There was the same conspiracy theory reactions to them.   Are we at the point in life that we believe what someone wrote on a computer more than what we see and hear with our own eyes?  Yeah, this is a real still photo of the plane hitting the building.  Unfortunately, it did happen and to far too many people it was their last day on this earth.

Photo Courtesy of http://images.nationalgeographic.com/

I think we do this for a reason. I think we don't want to believe there is that kind of evil in the world. We want so believe we are all good and want the best for each other. We don't. We want what we want.  These radicals want an end to civilized society. They want Sharia law.  Look at what is happening in the middle east right now.  Look at what happened a year ago in Benghazi.  We can go back further than that, but why?  Again, it's painful to look at because it's the worst parts of humanity.  It's real.

We can go into the theology of all this,  but here is the thing.   We are all made in God's image.  That's the good side of us.  The side that is heroic and runs to save people in a burning building.  The side that overcomes fear, to keep others safe.  We are also given free will.  God didn't want a bunch of mind numbed robots walking around.  He gave us the choice choose Him and choose life, or choose evil and choose death.  Far too many of us choose death.  When it happens, we suffer as a whole. 

I will say briefly, that there is a better way.  God made it by sending His Son to die for us all.  If you want to know about it, here is a passage that might help you.  It's pretty simple, actually it's very simple: Romans 10

So today, while we remember September 11.  Pray for wisdom to see through the conspiracies.   Pray for the people all over the world who are being oppressed by radical Islam.  Christians who are being killed because they will not renounce their faith in countries like Egypt and Syria.  Churches that are being burned down.  Pray for the children who live under such brutality.   Pray for freedom for these people.  Not just American freedom, freedom in God. While you're praying, thank God for your freedom, because as September 11 showed me, it's not to be taken for granted.

Robert Griffin THE Third...

The other day while I was riding in the truck, I was listening to the local sports radio that carries a certain unnamed 4-letter mega sports channel.  The host of the radio show was complaining about RG3 and how much press he was getting.  The first thing I did was scream, 'Then shut up!".  Of course, the radio did not relay my message of wisdom to the host and he kept speaking.

You see, the host's mega channel as been promoting Robert to the inth degree.  Robert has been the first story in every broadcast for the last few months.  For example- Robert says he wants to play.  Coach Shanahan says Robert can't play right now.... In depth coverage with our NFL insiders to follow in a few minutes.  What do the insiders say, you ask?  Well, basically that Robert wants to play, but his coach wants him healthy.  Ahhh, Duh?!  Robert's knee brace was off when he came out to practice!!!!  Oh the humanity!  Do we have a clip of that?

The host was also lamenting that Robert had a documentary on the 4-letter mega sports channel.  REALLY?  It's your channel!  Go to the network and say, "Enough is enough.  We are not reporting any more about Robert."  Isn't the fact that he is complaining about the documentary bringing publicity to said documentary?  Seriously, give me a break.

So in the spirit of complaining about sports figures and the fame they are being given, I have a list for the 4 letter mega sports channel, which I will now refer to as ESPN.

1.ESPN,  I am tired of you building up people, to only tear them down.  The list is too large to mention, but lets just name RG3, Tebow, A-Rod and Johnny Football (ok, so the last two may deserve the tearing down part a bit) to start out with.

2. I want to know what is happening in the world of sports.  I want to see replays of key plays in games.  I want to know who is getting signed by whom.  Who has been cut.  I want to watch live sports.  I want SPORTS STUFF!!!  Lots of it.  Stop the blabbing.

3. I do not want to see any more chickified stories about "so and so" or "what's their name".  Stop playing stories with the slow sappy music and people crying.  Please reserve those for news programs or Oprah's next interview.  I want to see home runs and run saving catches, football hits and touchdowns, NASCAR crashes, basketball winning shots, and of course GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLSSSS!!!!!!!!  If I want to be moved to tears, I can watch The Notebook.

4. Lastly, keep the politics out of sports.  The thing is, sports is a getaway from the stress of the real world.  I don't want to know about any politician's prognostication on the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the World Series... You get it.  They are politicians.  Most of them have never been athletes.  If you really want to mix it up, go to B-Dubs and get your normal guy or gal watching the game to give their pick.  It would probably be a lot more entertaining.

Where's the Outrage? Or, not...

It seems like every day there is another new reason to be outraged.  Whether it's some former teen star acting a fool or some dumb political decision being made in Washington.  Maybe some athlete has done the, dare I say it, UNTHINKABLE!  Like it's really unthinkable.  Are we surprised at anything anymore?

Am I the only one just getting worn out and tire with the outrage side of things?  I've even heard a major sports network this week have a moment of outrage that it might SNOW during the Super Bowl!  Are we really outraged or are we just jumping on the most recent media bandwagon?  It's almost like the media guides us to have conversations about hot button items.

I mean, what are we gonna do about these things we are outraged about?  We constantly complain, rage, whine... you name it, about the newest outrage.  We say, "I can't believe..., but how often do we vow to change it?

Maybe we could start by not putting celebrities and athletes on a pedestal.  They are people.  They have a talent.  That's it.  In some cases the talent did not come with common sense, decency, self control, etc...  Well, let's face it, in a lot of cases it didn't.

We could be thankful for the many gifts we have, like family.  We could spend a little more time working on the next generation and less worrying about someone elses kid start that has gone bad.  We could use the time to explain to our kids how they should act as responsible adults and maybe even emulate that behavior to them.

Shall I smack you now or later???

There are times being a woman in an industry dominated by men that you just want to smack someone for being condescending.  Yesterday was that day for me.

If you have followed this blog at all, you know how much I love to fish.  I mean, really, I love to fish!!!  My regular customers know this.  They ask me questions like: "What's biting?" or "Have you been out fishing lately?"  Apparently, some brilliant people seem to think I am the little lady who runs the store for her husband.

With this in mind, you can imagine as I with power that can only come from above, refrained from hauling off and smacking someone yesterday when the conversation came to this:
Customer: "Do you like to fish?
Me: "I love to fish.  Just went Saturday."
Customer: "What, did your husband take you?"
(At this point, I am thinking, "Did he just say what I thought he said?  What kind of moron is this?")
Me: "We went together.  There are many times I fish without him."
Customer: "You could come fishing with me sometime."
(Again, silently thinking: EWWWWWWWW)
Me: "No thanks"

Really?  This is 2013!  Do we really think women need a man to go fishing?  There are women on the professional circuit.  Yeah, they fish against the men!  I love fishing with my husband and son, but seriously, I would do it without either of them.  Ask them.  I have.

By the way, the Saturday fishing trip was great.  Fished a lake I have never fished and caught my first yellow perch and crappie among other fish!

Father's Day 2013 and my Pop-Pop

I run into a lot of dads at my store.  Some very young, some old.  Many of them have had the privilege of taking their son or daughter fishing or hunting for the first time.  Some come in for sports equipment.  Some go shooting with their kids.  While their job is often ridiculed in this day and age (I mean have you watched a Disney sitcom lately?  The dad is basically a buffoon!) it is important.  This is true of grandfathers as well.

I want to tell you a story about my grandfather, who is now in his 100's.  He doesn't always remember our family, or even who he is any more.  I went to visit him a couple months ago and he asked what I did for a living.  I told him I owned a sporting goods store.  He saw my shirt with the logo and shook his head.   He is hard of hearing but has great vision, so I wrote on his dry erase board, "You gave me my first fishing rod"  He looked at me.  I wrote "it was a green Zebco rod and reel."  He said, "I remember that" in a tone of someone remembering something they had long forgotten, but not purposely.  I wrote to him that he had taken me fishing the first time I ever went.  He said, "I remember."  I wrote, "We didn't catch a thing!"  He chuckled.  I have to admit my eyes were watery at this point.  My grandfather was the first father figure I had.  He taught me to garden, to fish, to fix things, to be good to people and to be wise about my friends.  He is part of the reason I am the person I am today.  I followed him around like the paparazzi follows celebrities.  I am thankful for him and, as his time on earth nears an end, it is hard to see that hero so weak and frail.  It reminds me of the brevity of life, though.  If you are a dad, please, don't let work or any other thing be more important than your kids.  Life is so short.  No one ever said, "I wish I would have spent more time working" at the end of their life.  This Father's Day, let your kids know how much you love them and if you haven't up to this point, resolve to spend more time with them.

Memorial Day 2013

As we all take this 3 day weekend, let's remember what Monday is all about.  It's Memorial Day.  There are many people who each day put their lives on the line for us all.  They sacrifice time with their families.  They literally put their lives on the line for our country.  Some come home and heal mentally/physically over time.  Some come home with deep scars that will never heal.  Some don't come home at all.

This weekend, resolve to volunteer at a Veteran's Hospital, give to a group that helps vets, or just say thanks to a vet...  My kids went to the Veteran's Hospital with our homeschool group in February.  My son said, the vets just kept thanking them for coming and bringing cards.  He said, "Mom, they don't owe us any thanks.  I wish we could have done more for them." He's right and we can.  Below is a link to the Wounded Warriors Project.  Maybe we can start there:
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Snow Storm Names?

A few months ago, I realized that they were officially naming winter storms now.   The Weather Channel in their never-ending quest to hype up weather has apparently decided this is necessary for the good of humanity.  This seriously annoys me for some reason.  For the most part they have been lame names, but they are far better than the ones we get from the DC area when a winter storm comes through!

I grew up in the Washington Metro area and somehow I missed when the transition went to cutesy snow storm names.  It was always the storm of (insert year here).  Who has the job of giving the storm cutesy names and why?  We are currently living through the Snowquester.  Really?  Snowquester?  My hands are actually embarrassed for typing it!  We have also had Snowmaggedon.  I swear, I am not making this up!

Is this something that just happens to east coast cities?  I mean seriously, would a Midwestern city embarrass themselves by naming a storm?  If they were going to be honest with the storm names in the Washington area, I have a few for them- Trafficpalooza, Slideganza, Snowballslowdownathon, the Congressionalclogup (have to give my son credit for that one).

I'm sure you guys have some good names for storms.  If you live in the Midwest  or anywhere else, I'd like to know if you guys do anything like this.

You're Out of Touch

The news sure does hype up information!  Right now The Sequester is the huge story.  Frankly, even though it affects my family directly, I'm all about the government having to cut some of their budget.  Seriously.  We all have had to in the past years, haven't we folks?!  It never ceases to amaze me how much the government, and the Washington press corps,  is out of touch with the rest of the country.  Here's a couple things that our leaders and the press can't seem to grasp:

1- You can't call something a cut in the budget if it still increases for cost of living.  That's like me saying, "Instead of buying a Mercedes, I'm buying a Cadillac!"  I'm still getting a luxury car either way and you are still increasing your spending every year!

2. Most of us work hard for a living and we DO NOT  get a raise every year.  In fact, many of my customers have taken pay cuts in the last 4 years.  Some have even lost their jobs.

3.  You are paid to do a job.  None of you are doing it.  I do see the House has offered a budget for the last 4 years.  Maybe that is because their jobs are on the line every 2 years.

4. Stop blabbing and making more laws.  Start enforcing the ones on the books.  Seriously, the gun issue is just one topic in a long line of laws that you already have on the books and don't enforce!

5. Members of the press, start doing your jobs and stop propping up the people you agree with.  I grew up admiring the press because I thought they weren't afraid to tell the truth.  Those days of admiration are far gone for me.  Oh, and stop hiring former politicians and talking heads to do shows.  Aren't there some people from journalism schools that need jobs?

6. Media- Go back to your roots!  Who, what, why, when, and where.  That's it.  We don't need your editorial input.  Find some people who love to investigate and tell a story.

7.- Get out of DC and the cities once in a while and meet the rest of America!  Meet us all, rich and poor, from all areas of ethnicity.  We have a lot going on in our lives and it doesn't center around you guys.  People like Mike Rowe because he's willing to get out and work their "Dirty Jobs".  People don't like you for the most part because you're full of hot air and most of you have no idea what it is to get your hands dirty and sweat!

What Can Freeze Dried Do For You?

Well, I finally started my journey selling Shelf Reliance products.  I had to write "my story" for my new Shelf Reliance store page.  I thought I'd share that with you all here.  If you are interested in buying some products please check our page here Woods Sporting Shelf Reliance Page

My story is a simple one.  I am an everyday person.  I'm not a "prepper".  I'm not a health food fan.  I'm not all the things I hear about typical people who store freeze dried foods and have emergency supplies.  I was first introduced to Shelf Reliance by a friend.  Later some members of my family bought these great 5 gallon containers with sealed lids.  I thought "That's a great idea."  So I ordered some to buy bulk sugar and flour.

We have had a small emergency supply for years.  Nothing big- some MRE's.  We have always kept a supply of water as well.  A few things happened to change my mind on these matters:

1- I started seeing canned foods with food from countries that do not have high standards of cleanliness or safety.  I don't want my family eating junk.

2- The dive in the economy has me concerned.  Food prices are not going to go down.  Matter of fact, it seems they are going up daily at times.

3- We had a major windstorm come through our area.  Electricity was out for some people for over a week.  We were fortunate, but this brought to mind the fact that all the meat and veggies I had stored in the freezer would be gone.

4- We are crazy busy as a family and I think we waste too much food on last minute purchases or going out to dinner.

So, as a family we have started the Q.  My hopes are that this will be, not only a storage option for us, but also a healthy option.  The Thrive foods aren't only good for you, they taste good too! I believe I can put together meals with the Thrive foods and save money.  I also own a small sporting goods store and plan on carrying some of the Thrive items, as well as, emergency supplies in the store.  There are some great items for campers that are carried by Shelf Reliance also!

If you are interested in Thrive foods or the emergency supplies, please feel free to contact me.  If you have any questions about how Thrive can work for you as a food option, I would love to answer them.  There is a tab on the top of this page that says contact.  Just click that to get started.

Ok, guns....

If you are a fan of our store page on facebook, you probably have already read this.  For the rest of you, here is my response to the president's speech on guns today:

1- The government's invasiveness with doctors on this subject should be a warning flag to us all. If they will get in your business in this area, they will in others.

2- Everyone in America needs to read the Constitution. **We give away free copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence here at the store and have for years.

3- Criminals do not follow laws, hence the term "criminal". Law abiding citizens are the only ones who will be affected by more laws.

4- Please stop sharing and forwarding false information. You are not helping your cause no matter what side you are on. Snopes and other sites are also not always accurate. Take the time to investigate yourself. If you find something in multiple outlets, it's probably true. Just make sure it's not the same story printed by different outlets.

5- The NRA is being demonized for standing up for gun rights. They bring up a lot of good points, for instance, many of the people promoting gun control/banning have armed protection for themselves. If you don't agree with them there are plenty of organizations that are pro-gun that you can join- Gun Owners of America, the Second Amendment Sisters are two.

6- Finally, God is in control. Do you grasp that? If these are the end times, are you ready to meet your Creator?